Dirk Nowitzki has passed away. It’s sad, and the Mavericks should take an appropriate amount of time to mourn, but there is still basketball to be played. Dirk wouldn’t have wanted his team to lose games just because of him not being there anymore. He would want them to carry on and be strong, be strong for Uncle Cuban.
It is time for Dwight “Dwight Power” Powell to step up. He does not need to fill the entirety of Dirk’s gigantic role. Just bits and pieces at a time, gradually building up until pundits can rightfully call him “Dirk .75”. Tonight is a good start; he scored a career-high 17 points and hit a pair of midrange jumpers, just like Papa Nowitzki. Maybe they weren’t as aesthetic as a certain German’s, but they went in, and that’s all that matters.
Powell hit those shots on top of his usual devastating dunkage, a skill that Dirk was never so skilled at. Dirk may be gone now, but you can tell that his power still resonates through Powell, enhancing his already prodigious athletic gifts. In a way, Powell represents Dirk’s final legacy on earth.